University
receives NSF grant to support women in science
The National Science Foundation has awarded Shippensburg
University, in cooperation with three other organizations, a grant to promote
the recruitment, retention and advancement of women academics in STEM
disciplines.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.
The $749,506 grant is for the PA STEM
University Partnership for the Advancement of Academic Women (PA STEMUP)
program. Partnering with Shippensburg are Elizabethtown College, Harrisburg
University of Science and Technology (HU) and the Innovation Transfer Network
(ITN).
The program is under the direction of the leadership team of Dr. Kate
G. McGivney, professor of mathematics; Dr. Alice Armstrong, assistant professor
of computer science; and Dr. Robin McCann, associate professor of chemistry,
all at Shippensburg University, Dr. Bilita Mattes and Dr. Christina Dryden of Harrisburg
University; Dr. Heather E. Kanenberg of Elizabethtown; and Jill Edwards of the
Innovation Transfer Network. Two advisory groups with members from around the
nation will also work with the group on the project.
According to McGivney, principal
investigator for the project, “We’re very excited to partner with local universities to research
issues important to women in the STEM fields. We look forward to using the
findings to develop a professional network for female STEM faculty in the
region and to inform campus policies about the recruitment and retention of
high quality female faculty members.
“Women play an
important role in science both as students and as faculty members. This project
will allow us to discover the issues related to women faculty in the STEM
fields and to determine ways to encourage more women to participate. Ultimately,
this project will help benefit our nation as more women become active
participants in science.”
The four-year project has three main
goals:
- To assess the climate among Central Pennsylvania higher
education institutions for the support of gender equity and diversity among
faculty in STEM disciplines and to use those results to inform campus-specific
policies and practices and regional programs that support the advancement of
women STEM faculty
- To leverage the existing ITN network to develop a
professional network for women/women-minority STEM faculty in the Central
Pennsylvania region and through that network to adapt, build upon, and develop
programs and services that promote increased representation and advancement of
the region’s academic women in STEM.
- To develop a web-based resource in support of a sustainable
climate of gender equity
and diversity for STEM faculty including an opt-in social media component to
promote virtual networking among women academics in STEM especially for
professional support and research collaboration.
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